I am Rebel
by Morgstang
Summary: Edward, a farm hand at his family's farm, is not happy with his life and decides to take it by the horns and do something about it himself. While his Father wants him to take over ownership of the family's trade, Ed has something else in mind. EdxWin, AU.
1. Beginning Note, read to avoid confusion

**I know what you're thinking, "She's deleted stuff _again_!"**

**I have the chapters (they're backed up this time -.-), I'm gonna make them better and edit them they're going to be slightly later on in the story. I've decided I want to play with this idea a little more before going to Central.**

**There will be your teenage drama, your OC's, and general annoying things. But I'm having fun with this..._very_ much. And I warn that Hohenheim has the name of Van Elric now. I wanted the old 'everyone gets the husband/father's last name' thing and Hohenheim isn't a very good last name for Ed and Al. So it's Elric.**

**And there's your slight OOC-ness, as you see with all of my stories. You see, I'm a bit of a big fan of AU (couldn't you tell?) and as I've said before:**

**Different life= Different person.**

**I want Ed to have a NORMAL life and I want to play with this idea a little. Portray how I think he would be as a normal teenager that doesn't know who the hell he is. Like we all went through and/or still are going through.**

**It's edited by yours truly, Me. Probably not nearly as good as Kibs, but hey, I need to learn.**

**Ed's got short hair! And a newsy cap!**

**I had to make this note the first chapter because FFnet won't allow me to delete the first chapter and if I just replace the first chapter with the new one, none of you would've gotten notified, and I didn't think that'd be really fair 'cuz I've had quite a few people bugging for the next chapter.**

**So click next and enjoy! Nearly 10,000 words! Well...I know it's over 9,000.**


	2. The Elric Farm

Today was typically hot, the sun scorching the fields and insects buzzing. It was one of those noises that you don't notice unless you just sit there and listen. Just a bunch of white noise in the background.

Ed scratched his head under the band of his flat cap and adjusted it by its brim, wiping sweat off of his forehead as he let the well-worn wooden handle of the shovel lean against a wheelbarrow. His back was aching from all of the shoveling. Once his arms had started aching he had to use the muscles in his back to give his arms a break. Either way he was sore for the rest of the night.

He had been shoveling manure (his favorite job) out of the barns into a wide, rusty wheelbarrow and dumping it into a pile near the crop field, where it would be spread out by the hired farmhands all over the plot as fertilizer.

In a way it disgusted Ed immensely at first. In a way they were putting cow and horse crap into their food, but he got over it after a few days. The plants needed to eat too, right?

His father, Van Elric, owned one of the largest farms in Resembool. All of Resembool was land of cows anyhow, but they still had one of the largest farms, which was saying someting. They also had all of your other common farm animals. A dozen horses, half a dozen pigs (Ed hated them the most, but not as much as the cows), twenty chickens, a rooster who had it out for Ed, and last and most certainly least, over six dozen milking cows.

Edward Elric was turning eighteen in a few weeks and had a brother who was two years younger than him. His younger brother's name was Alphonse Elric, and usually, by looks alone, people would always guess Al to be the older brother. But that was only because he was nearly half a foot taller than Ed. Nothing ruffled Ed's feathers more than this.

Everyone argued with Ed that it was because he wouldn't drink milk or eat all of the vegetables put in front of him, but he called bullshit. He ate enough damned vegetables and just because he wouldn't drink that _secretion_ from a _cow tit_ didn't mean he was to be _slightly_ vertically challenged all of his life.

Looking out across the west field, Ed saw the sun was nearly set and sighed in relief as he picked up the shovel, laying it across the full wheelbarrow. Shoveling manure for eight hours with only the help of his brother and two other workers wasn't easy and all Ed could think about was a cold shower and bed. The sunburn on the back of his neck and on his forearms stung with every move. The rest of his body that was covered with clothing, saving it from the vicious sunburn, _ached_ and felt hot from being baked by the hot sun all day.

Lifting the handles of the wheelbarrow, Ed started pushing it towards the crop field.

* * *

"I think my arms are gonna be six shades darker than the rest of my body after today," said one of the farm hands, Howard Kelly. Everyone just called him Howy. _Howard _seemed a little too mature for him. Howy was a lanky brunette who had just recently turned seventeen. Even _he_ was taller than Ed. Though he was nearly two years younger than him.

They were in the barn, putting away the shovels and wheelbarrows in the tool shed. Ed was just about friends with all of the farm hands.

"Why don't you stop bitching and be glad you don't have a sun burn like this. I'll be peeling skin off my arms for weeks," Ed said, unable to suppress the grin when he saw the bright apple red burn on Howy's face. "You look like a friggen' cherry."

"Yeah, well you're not doing much better, I think your hair's turnin' white. Better keep that cap on _all_ day," Howy poked, smirking at Ed's scowl.

"You have hair this thick and try wearing a hat all day. Might as well be a wool hat in this heat-" Ed started, taking his hat off and rubbing his head and scratching his scalp. The air was starting to cool off and it felt great as it could finally reach his head with his hat off.

"I keep telling you to get it thinned out by the barber from town, but you never listen, do you?" Came a voice from behind them.

Al came in from outside, dragging a flat-tire wheelbarrow behind him. Ed walked over and helped him lift it, carrying it over to the wall where the other wheelbarrows were. At the beginning of the day the boys could lift a wheelbarrow easily, but at the end of it after working all day it might as well weigh a couple hundred pounds. Be it heat exhaustion or having your work labor varying each day and not being used to it, it was the same for everyone after a workload like this one. It wasn't like they needed to fertilize the fields everyday.

Al had his hair cropped shorter than Ed did. Ed had it past his ears an inch, and he _did_ need a cut, but he didn't like how it looked whenever the barber had it "thinned" out like Al advised. Al was lucky and got their mother's thinner hair, and it was nearly the same color, except their mother's was darker. Ed got his father's hair and that's not where the similarities stopped, unfortunately. Ed looked exactly like a younger version of his father except for his jaw. His jaw wasn't so..._square_. But from the bright thick honey blond hair and matching gold eyes, Ed was forever doomed to be reminded of his father every time he looked into the mirror.

You see, Ed didn't like his father that much. They hadn't been getting along ever since he turned about eight years old. Whether it be arguing about the perfect fishing bait, to how to break a colt properly, or how to even_ shave facial hair _the right way_, _Ed just couldn't stop arguing with his father. He knew he started most of the fights, but he was _right_.

And lately, it's been about something pretty important. Ed's _future_. As Ed was the eldest sibling, he had the responsibility in being the next farm owner. In just a decade Ed could be the farm's legal owner and having to manage _everything, _but t_hat_ was the problem.

_Ed hated the farm._

He _hated_ waking up at four or five in the morning, he _hated_ milking cows and got out of it whenever he possibly could, he hated fighting with the horses to go back into their barn, he hated the pigs and their muddy sour smelling pen, and he fucking _hated_ that rooster. Nearly every morning and night when Ed walked out in front of the house, and the rooster happened to be there, the feathery bastard would duck his head down and go charging at Ed's shins and ankles. The thing hadn't even had its spurs removed and it would rip Ed's work trousers. Every spring when they beheaded a few of the chickens, Ed always thought of tying that rooster down and taking his head off.

Why the hell would he want to inherit the farm and spend the rest of his life doing something he _hated_?

Allen, the oldest hired farmhand at thirty-five years old, came in looking the least sun burnt. The others struck up conversation while Ed was trying to wash his arms off in the barrel of water in the corner of the shed. They filled it every morning so after a long day of working they could quickly wash off and dump the barrel behind the shed. It was better than walking into the house all muddy.

"How are the others holding up in the field? I'm sure glad I don't have to tow and fertilize that. I'd rather shovel shit all day," Howy asked Allen as he walked over next to Ed and proceeded to wash his arms off in the barrel.

"I'm not sure. The tractor's still broken down and they had to use the plow horses, but they had to switch horses soon off. The black one gave out halfway through," Allen said, wiping his forehead off with a handkerchief.

Al looked worried, "The black one? It's not Sammy, is it? With the bald face?"

Allen suddenly became apologetic, patting Al's shoulder, "Oh, don't worry about it, Al. He was just tired. He's probably getting too old for the plow. Your dad made sure to put him back in his stall with some hot mash."

"Doubt it," Ed muttered, smoothing his hair back before putting his hat back on. Looking back up, he sneered at Al, "Old _Sammy_ is probably on his way to the butcher's to be made into cans of dog chow."

"No, he isn't!" Al yelled, angrily shoving past Ed as he ran out of the shed, towards the horse barn. Ed rolled his eyes and accidentally made eye contact with Allen. He didn't look too impressed and it made Ed feel sheepish. Howy stood next to the barrel for a moment then awkwardly excused himself and walked out of the shed, most likely after Al.

"Still arguing with your Dad?" Allen asked as he went over to the barrel and started cleaning off his arms.

"Yeah, what do you think? We're all buddy buddy now and I want this crumb-heap of a farm?"

"You still shouldn't take it out on Al. You know he's got a soft spot for those horses. Especially that old white faced one."

"I don't get why _Al _can't have this farm, he _loves_ the place. Especially those mangey barn cats. Those things are all diseased, I swear."

Allen started laughing, "I remember when you were ten and got bit by one. I thought we were going to have to rush you to the hospital. It got infected pretty fast."

"When Dad said they were wild I didn't think he meant it _literally_," Ed mumbled, shrugging.

"Well, you're lucky you didn't get blood poisoning. Anyhow, I think your Dad wants _both_ of you to run the farm and I doubt he wants you running off and never hearing from you again. He loves his boys and probably wants you two nearby."

"I ain't being his little farmhand forever. I'm turning eighteen soon and there's nothing he can do about it. I can walk right out of this farm and _never_ come back."

"Well, I do hope you come back to visit or you'll just about break your poor Dad's and brother's hearts."

Not saying anything, Ed walked out of the shed, completely sick of being the bad guy about wanting to have a _life_. He walked quickly up the hill towards his house and went up the front steps.

As he entered through the front door, Ed let the screen swing shut behind them with a loud rap and hot air rushed towards him, quickly taking away the feeling the cool air outside had left on his skin. The heat from the stove in the kitchen in the evening was the worst part about coming back in after working all day. After a few minutes though, it became a cozy kind of heat.

Sitting on the floor, next to the coat rack that was hammered onto the wall, Ed started unlacing his boots. He didn't feel like bending down and doing it due to his sore back.

"Hey, Ed. Haven't seen you in a few days."

Placing his boots with all the others, Ed looked up at Ellie, one of the housemaids.

"Oh, hi. How's it been?"

"It's been okay. Um, dinner's done," She gave him an odd sort of smile that looked a little strained and quickly left back for the kitchen. Ed stood up, feeling a bit bemused as he brushed off his trousers, getting any dirt off of them. He was supposed to change before going to dinner, but he felt like pushing all of his father's buttons tonight.

Walking into the dining room, Ed felt a little awkward as he sat down, but he ignored it and tried to seem indifferent. He quickly took his hat off and folded it in half, stuffing it into his pocket, letting it hang out. His father was sitting at one end of the table and Ed took the furthest seat from him, at the other end of the table. He didn't even want to _look_ at him, right now.

"How was work today, Edward?" Van asked, almost too casually. Ed felt his eyebrow tic once as he tried his best not to glance in his father's direction. He was letting Ed get away with wearing his dirty work clothes at the table. Something was up, and how could he act like this morning's fight never happened?

"Long and tiresome like every day on this farm is. The time of my life, Dad, I _swear._"

Nothing else was said and soon Al came into the room. He gave Ed a dirty look and sat down, grabbing his glass of water on the table and drinking it all in one go. Dinner was already set out on the table and it was silent as everyone ate.

As usual Ed was finished first and he was about to go put his dishes into the sink in the kitchen when Van spoke up.

"You boys can have all of next week off. The county fair is next weekend too," He said, looking over at Ed. "Maybe you can see if Winry wants to go?"

Ed nearly knocked his chair over as he stood up and grabbed his dishes. In the kitchen he strode angrily past Ellie, who was cleaning up and he drove his dishes into the soapy water in the sink and without another look at Ellie, Ed left the kitchen and went up the stairs to the second floor.

It was _about time_ they got some time off from work, Ed couldn't remember the last break they got, _'fucking slave driver.'_

If his dad kept thinking that they were just going to be one big happy family working on the farm until the last one of them was put into the ground out behind the barn, near the old willow where their mother was buried, he had a little surprise coming.

He ripped out his hat that was still hanging out of his pocket and threw it across his room, listening to the barely audible _thud _when it hit the wall. Slamming the door behind him he stormed across his room. He shouldn't really let his father get to him. He couldn't _make_ him stay when he turned eighteen. He'd be legally an adult and could just leave. There was a small bank in town with all of the money he made from working on the farm. Nearly five years of pay saved up.

Hopefully it was enough for a start in Central.

Central City was the capital of Amestris. It was the largest city in the country and Ed had been there once, when he was seven. Right before his Mother, Trisha Elric, died, the whole family went on a trip there. Ever since their mother had died, from tuberculosis, their father practically buried himself in the farm work. Van had even gone through a terrible drinking binge for a few years.

Ever since Mom died they had to hire three housemaids to do the cooking, laundry, and the general cleaning. There just wasn't enough time in the day for the brothers or Van to do any sort of cooking or laundry. They had enough on their hands with the farm work. Even so Ed was a little embarrassed of some of the girls he used to go to school with washing their underwear, but he eventually got over it...by staying away from the house when he knew they were doing the laundry.

Being without their Mom was especially hard on Alphonse, being only five at the time. He couldn't understand the concept death any better than Ed could and would often wake up in the middle of the night crying for her. Ed wasn't sure how they were going to make it without her. In his seven year old mind, the world had ended. And it had, it had ended as he _knew_ it.

To add on to it Ed knew his Mother would have backed him up on wanting to continue his education in Central and start a _real_ career. Not take over the family farm. She would've wanted him to be _happy_ and not see him so clearly miserable.

Whether his Mother was there or not, Ed wasn't letting anything stop him from goal.

Stripping his socks off his feet, Ed left his clothes on as he laid on his bed, feeling exhausted. Today was a Friday and Ed and Al always got Saturdays and sometimes Sundays off from work, if there wasn't a lot of work to be done.

Ed and Al had been pulled out of school when they had turned thirteen and became home schooled. First Ed and then two years later, Alphonse. Homeschool was more like Ed and Al figuring out their books together and going to the public library for help. Like their worthless Father was any help.

Stretching out his arms above his head, Ed stretched his sore muscles, wincing at the ache in his back.

There was a small sound, like a little _tick _as if something hit his window above his bed, but he ignored it. Small bats or moths always ran into his windows in the Summer at night time. The light from his ceiling lamp always attracted them.

This time something louder made his window rattle slightly in its frame, nearly cracking the glass pane. He sat up quickly and glanced at his window before yarding the curtains back and staring down at the ground. The light from his room cast a small square of yellow light on the dark lawn and if there was something down there he couldn't see it.

Pulling his window up, he squinted against the dark and as his eyes adjusted to the dark he spotted two figures standing under his window, down on the ground.

"Who is that?" He whispered, already having a good idea of who it was.

"It's Howy and Jere!" Howy's voice whispered out, loud enough for Ed to hear him.

_Right as always_.

"I'll be right out."

Ed jumped off his bed and went over to his dresser. He pulled off his clothes and pulled on a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and some clean socks. Picking up his flat cap, lying alone and hopeless in the corner of the room, he pulled it on over his head and headed down stairs, making sure to skip the squeaky stairs.

He went into the entrance room and pulled his boots on, quickly lacing them up.

"Ed?"

Nearly flying out of his skin, Ed quickly looked over his shoulder, heart hammering in his chest. Seeing it was Al, Ed relaxed a little and turned back around, pulling the hems of his jeans down over his boots. His nerves still felt a little anxious but he ignored them.

"Hey, Al," Ed said grabbing his jacket off of the hanger and pulling it on.

"Where are you going, Ed? It's almost ten o'clock," Al asked, still standing in the doorway.

"Out with Howy and Jere."

"Where are you guys going?"

"Dunno," Ed said tersely. "Somewhere around town, probably."

"You sure that's a good idea? You remember how upset Dad got last time you were out so late with your friends."

"Yeah, yeah, Al. I don't think Dad would be so happy with you fooling around with Jen last weekend."

Al's face turned bright red as his voice went up a couple octaves, "We weren't _fooling around_, I just _kissed_ her!"

"Well, be sure not to go past first base. You know how much Dad believes in marriage first," Ed teased, opening the front door and easing it shut behind him as he left the house, leaving Al chagrined.

Ed stepped down the stairs and walked over to Howy, waiting for him near the mailbox with Jere.

"What's going on?" He asked, buttoning a single button on his coat as he stopped in front of Howy.

"Everyone's gone down to the river. Wanna go?" Jere replied as they already started walking down the path that lead off of the farm's property. Jere, short for Jeremiah, was Howard's older twin brother, just by two minutes and Jere made sure to assert his rights as an older brother on a daily basis.

"I guess. Got nothing better to do," Ed said, waving a hand refusing the cigarette Jeremiah procured from the front breast pocket of his jacket and offered. Sticking it in his mouth, Jere shrugged and lit it up, cupping his hand protectively around the flame from the lighter. Ed didn't like cigarettes, and he certainly didn't like sharing something somebody else put their mouth on.

Nearly all of the guys Ed knew smoked except for him and Al. Ed had tried it on a few occasions the previous year, but his lungs would always close up from him inhaling the wrong way and he'd hack and cough while the others laughed, his throat and ego left stinging. _As if they didn't cough their first few cigarettes_. It's not natural to inhale smoke and Ed thought it smelled disgusting, but he tried it out of curiosity anyway.

The air had cooled off significantly since a few hours ago, and there was a lot of cool air coming out of the woods that made the air become colder as they got closer to the woods.

The river was about half a mile walk from Ed's house, but it was well worth the walk. It was a wide river that only got around five to six feet deep and it was warm all through out the summer. Especially at night, when the sun had all day to warm it up and the air was cooler than the water and made it feel even warmer in comparison. It was one of the main hang-outs for the kids during the summer. The unused old barn far behind Ed's house was the hang out any other time of the year. Somehow his Father hadn't heard about it yet and it's been a good four years. Maybe he knew about it and just didn't care.

It wasn't like they could get into too much trouble besides smoking or drinking a few beers. They mostly played cards on an old table during their free time and told stories and did stupid dares. Ed had also heard plenty of stories of what happened in the hayloft. Going by all of the stories, half the town had lost their virginity up there.

Of course that was an exaggeration but Ed didn't doubt that _some_ stuff had happened up there. _He_ most certainly hasn't gone up there before. Not for the lack of interest, but Ed just couldn't really talk with the girls. He knew he wasn't as _interesting_ as the other guys and his _awkwardness_ around the opposite sex almost emanated off of him. He swore some of the girls around here acted weird around _him _and then he'd lose all confidence and end up scooting off to stand with the guys. Ed really appreciated that his friends didn't tease him about not ever having a girlfriend, or even not having kissed anyone.

Ed guessed they knew that it wasn't _entirely_ his fault and it was a touchy subject. Not everyone could be suave and good looking to the _ladies_.

Well, Ed couldn't say he hadn't _ever_ kissed a girl before. There was that time when he was nine years old and Alphonse was seven. Winry, their childhood friend and neighbor, had kissed both of them. Right smack on the mouth. Al cried.

"Hey, you think Winry might be there?" Jeremiah suddenly asked.

"Probably, I think she got back last week from that private school her Gran sent her to last fall...Why?" Howy queried.

Ed realized they were walking in the woods now and were almost to the river.

"Just wondering. I think I might ask her out sometime."

Staying silent as the twins started talking, Ed couldn't believe what he was hearing. Winry was Ed's age, meaning she was also a whole year older than the Kelly twins. _Jeremiah asking Winry out? _Although she probably _would_ say yes to Jeremiah. He was one of the smooth guys. Just turning seventeen he probably had had more girlfriends than all of the other guys.

Even though he and Howy were identical down to the last freckle the girls just seemed to _prefer_ Jeremiah. He definitely had more of the "bad boy" attitude than Howy ever would. Howy was shy and polite. Almost like Al. Except Howy drank _and_ smoked. Probably the only differences between him and Al. Howy also had quite the sailor's mouth on him once he had a few beers.

Ed didn't like beer too much. It reminded him of something like carbonated skunk piss.

Maybe that's what was wrong with him. He was too much of a _good_ boy like Al. But then even Al had had a few girlfriends before.

_'What the fuck is wrong with me?' _He thought, stuffing his hands into his pockets and feeling a little sulky. Yeah, it wasn't the end of the world because he hadn't ever had a girlfriend before, but _hell_, it didn't do much for the self confidence or the ego.

Distant laughter reached his ears from up ahead and Ed looked up noticing the small flicker of a far away fire. As they neared the river and the talking and laughing grew louder, Ed saw that a group of teenagers had started a fire in the old rigged fire pit. All it was was a ring of medium sized stones, each about the size of a head, a simple design to keep the fire from spreading out. A few logs had been rolled up a few feet away from the fire to be used as seats. There were already half a dozen kids soaking wet from the river sitting on top of them, chatting and joking.

Howy and Jeremiah left Ed, pulling off their shoes and socks and stripping off their shirts before racing each other off to the river. A bunch of others were swimming in the water and there was a rope swing hanging off a nearby tree on the bank of the river. People were swinging off of the rope and flinging themselves into the river. Ed was always paranoid about large rocks hiding in the water. Each year that fear grew more and more.

After about a minute of standing there alone, Ed started feeling self-conscious, just standing there with his hands in his coat pockets, doing nothing. He didn't really feel like going swimming and all of his friends were in the water or looked busy talking with other people by the fire.

"Hey, Ed!"

Ed visibly jumped, pulling his hands out of his pockets as he looked over to his right, his eyes meeting a pair of bright blue ones.

"Oh, hey, Winry. What're you doing here?" The minute the question left his mouth, he wanted to hit himself in the head. '_Good job asking the obvious, genius! Why else would she be here?'_

"You know, just hanging out with everyone. Getting out of the boring routine of everyday life," She replied, seeming to ignore how stupid he was making himself look. What a mercy. His face was heating up and he wanted to cross his arms protectively but he forced them to stay in his pockets to make himself seem laid back and relaxed. If only he could make his face relax, his eyebrows seemed to be curving upwards and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Taking in the sight of her he noticed she was wearing a loose knitted tan sweater over a light blue dress that stopped just above her knees. She was also wearing a pair of white sandles with a small heel that Ed had seen a lot of girls had gotten in town. They seemed pretty popular now.

What was different about Winry from the other girls was that she had ear piercings. Not just one in each ear lobe, but a bunch that ran up each ear. He could spot four in her right ear and three in her left. Not a lot of girls did that and most certainly not in a quaint little country town like Resembool. He had heard it was popular to do in Central City.

Ed suddenly became aware he was just staring at her and not saying anything, causing the blush on his face to flare up even hotter.

"Um, sorry, what?" He asked tentatively, shaking his head as he hoped that she asked something and not making himself look more stupid by the second.

Grinning, she said, "I asked you how your horses were doing. It's been a while since I've come by."

"_Oh_, uh, pretty good. I haven't been _riding_ if that's what you mean, riding horses. Been busy with work, y'know?"

_'Why am I acting so weird around Winry? Is it because of what Jere said earlier?'_

Was Ed _finally_ noticing that his neighbor and close friend was in fact a _girl_ and now he had to act all weird around her like he did with any girls he tried talking to? Winry was always just the kid that rode horses with Al and Ed and grew up together. He didn't even _think_ about acting weird around her.

_'Thanks, Jere. You made my stupid brain realize that Winry is in fact a female and actually kinda pretty and now I have to trip over myself.'_

"Are you okay, Ed? You look a little hot," She said, stepping up closer to him and looking up at his forehead which was most likely beaded with a little sweat.

"I'm fine, just standing near the fire too long, I guess. I think it's my sunburn, actually, you never feel cool after getting a sunburn," His tongue seemed like it was stung by a bee and now felt three times too big for his mouth. Was he having a panic attack? Was he so socially fucked up that he couldn't even talk properly?

Winry's hand suddenly gripped his forearm and pulled him to walk with her, she was giving him a smile that looked a slightly worried, "Come on, let's go for a walk. Remember where we used to skip stones with Al?"

Ed let himself be led away from the others and he was well aware of all of the eyes on his back as they walked away.

_'Jere is gonna kill me.'_

Winry eventually let go of his arm and they traced the well worn path down towards a small sandy beach on the lower banks of the river. They probably hadn't skipped stones down there in two years. Hell, he hadn't seen her since the end of last summer.

"Ed, you're acting really weird, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...I think I was just in the sun too long today," He said, smiling feebly at her.

"Is your hat too thick? It's good to wear one out in the sun but if it's too thick then it's not gonna help," She grabbed the hat off of his head before he had a chance to react. She rubbed the material between her thumb and forefinger, looking at it's thickness.

"God, Ed. This is a bit thick, don't you think?" She asked, giving the hat back to him. "That's more like a autumn hat than summer."

He pulled the brown flat cap back on his head, shrugging, "Well, I like this one."

Shaking her head she said, "You're gonna end up having a heat stroke. You're lucky I'm home for the summer, we'll have to find you something lighter."

They continued walking, Ed was feeling less awkward and started to relax a bit more as they reached the sand bar at the end of the trail. They cut through the little shrubs and Ed nearly tripped as the sand under his boot shifted.

Winry was already up ahead of him at the edge of the water, searching for flat stones. Ed felt a little guilty as he knew that Jere wanted to ask Winry out on a date and here he was hanging out with her..._alone_.

_'No, everyone knows we're just friends. It's not like I'm trying to steal Winry away before Jere gets a chance to ask her. Besides, _she_ asked _me_ to go on a walk. We'll go back and I'll tell Jere to go on ahead and just ask her.'_

Even thinking about it Ed didn't like the idea of Jere taking Winry on a date. He didn't exactly have the best of intentions when taking a girl out. Ed knew that Jere wouldn't ever _force _himself on a girl or anything, but it didn't mean he wouldn't try talking them into something. Whether it just be kissing or a romp in the hayloft.

What was Ed even thinking? Winry was nothing like that. He heard the stories of guys taking her out on dates and if they so much as tried anything, she'd whack them real good with a_wrench._

Yes, you read that right. A _wrench._

The young woman had a habit of carrying tools in the pockets of her dress or in her handbag. Or the last time Ed knew. After her being away for nearly a year, she seemed...softer? Her dress didn't have any grease stains and she didn't have such a harsh look on her face, like she had spent the entire day concentrating intensely on a piece of machinery, brow scrunched up.

Winry was a mechanic. Another strange thing about the blond girl. She dressed like a lady, looked like a lady, acted like a lady (most of the time) and she worked on trucks and tractors better than any other mechanic in town.

Ed would often go by his Father's garage in the past years and she'd have her long flaxen hair tied up, baggy overalls and a boy's button up work shirt on underneath. She rarely wore her hand down and when she did it reached her waist, easily the longest hair out of all of the girl's in Resembool, which was another thing he liked. Long hair.

"Ed! I found some perfect rocks!" Winry said, running over to him (he didn't know how she ran in those shoes on the sand) and holding out a small pile of stones in her hand to give to him.

* * *

Winry held out her handful of flat stones to Ed. They were the perfect length and thinness to skip.

Ed looked at the stones in her outstretched hand and took them, giving her a small smile. She wasn't quite sure what was going on with him, but she knew he was doing a lot of thinking.

She followed him over to the edge of the river and she realized that she didn't remember how to skip stones. Not wanting to admit that she forgot, she watched Ed grab a stone from his handful and hold it around its edges with his thumb and middle finger. Forefinger hovering parallel with the top flat side of the stone.

With a swift flick of the wrist the stone hit the water and began skipping. One skip, two skips, three, four, five, _six_.

"Only six," He muttered, almost looking embarrassed.

"That's not bad! It's probably been a while since you last skipped," Winry offered, holding her stones uncertainly.

She watched him skip two more times and finally grabbed a stone from her pile and held it the way he had been. Concentrating she flicked the stone a little oddly with her wrist and it hit the water and skipped twice before it plunked, loudly, sinking to the bottom.

Smiling, embarrassed, she handed the rest of her stones to Ed, and said apologetically, "I haven't skipped stones in years."

"You sure you don't want them?" He asked, taking her stones.

"Yeah, I'll just waste them."

"Don't worry about it," Ed said, skipping the rest of the stones, "You're better than me at a lot of other stuff. Let me be good at at least one thing, yeah?"

Winry felt better about coming to the hang out, even though she wasn't hanging out with her other friends. She knew she was going to get flak for going off with _Edward Elric_ alone from her friends. Apparently Ellie and Joanna have had their eye on him for a few months now. Poor Ellie, only seventeen years old, was too quiet and shy to ever ask a guy out. She only saw Ed during breakfast and dinner times, since she was the housemaid that cooked the meals at the Elric house. Because of that she would never get any time alone with Ed to talk to him.

Then there was Joanna, nineteen and a _redhead_. She was the loudest and most outgoing of Winry's friends (she used the term 'friend' loosely) and Winry was surprised she hadn't sprung a trap on Edward yet.

When a girl puts a claim on a guy, it was up to all of the female residents of Resembool to steer clear of that guy and not try to mess anything up. Or you would be dubbed the tramp of the town. A "man-stealer." Winry really didn't want any part of that drama, but, there was something _different_ about Ed this year.

His hair had grown out from that cropped hair style their father had always made both Elric boys have and his jaw and face seemed more..._defined_? She wasn't sure how to explain it. Right now, looking at his back, she could see his shoulders were much, _much_ broader than a year ago.

When she grabbed his forearm earlier to steer him away from the group, she could feel it was much more toned than it was last summer. Not thin and boyish anymore.

_'And all in under a year...'_

Turning to face her, Ed put a hand into his pocket and starting rubbing the back of his neck with the other, staring at the ground.

"Well, while we're talking, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

Blinking, Winry felt a little worried.

"What is it?"

He wasn't answering, still looking at the ground.

She pried more, "Come on, Ed. What's wrong?"

"You don't have to, but the county fair is next weekend and I was wondering if maybe you'd wanna go," Ed asked, speaking quickly and looking up with his hand still on the back of his neck. Looking a little red.

Winry felt a little stunned as she stared back at Ed. Then it hit her. _Now_ she knew what Ed's odd behavior had been about. That wasn't a sunburn on his face all this time. He was _blushing._

Smiling a little, she said coyly, "_Oh_, I don't know. I think I might be going."

Putting her hands behind her back she grabbed her wrist and looked back out at the river, waiting for Ed to respond.

"Um, that's not what I was asking."

She glanced back over at him, still smiling, "Well, what _were_ you asking?"

Winry knew it was mean but she couldn't help but tease him a little. The red was spreading from his face to his ears and slowly creeping down his neck. She could see it even in this dark lighting.

"I was asking if you'd wanna go _with me,_" He gritted out, staring down at the ground again, driving his other hand into his pocket.

"Like a _date_?"

"Uh...y-yeah...I _mean_ if you don't _want_ to it's okay-"

"Yes, Ed," She said, unable to keep her smile from growing bigger at how flustered he was getting.

He glanced up at her, looking a little perplexed, "You will?"

"Of course I will, Ed," Winry said, suddenly marveling at how gold his eyes were. She never noticed them before. It was like how you knew someone for years but when you try to think of their eye color you just _can't_ remember what color they are. Winry always assumed they were brown, like Alphonse's, just a bit lighter.

"Oh. Okay," Ed mumbled, taking his hat off and scratching the top of his head before placing it back on. "We could go next Saturday...if that's alright with you ...and your Gran."

"That sounds about fine to me," Winry said, her smile still going strong.

"Well, then, I guess we'd better go back before my friends wonder where I've gone," He finally said after a moment of standing there looking at the river. Winry walked with Ed by his side back towards the trail, but as they walked back she started feeling guilty about Ellie.

_Joanna was going to kill her._

* * *

Ed waved goodbye to Winry as she walked off. She waved back and then went over to sit down with her friends by the fire. Joanna, a redhead that cleaned the house three times a week, gave Ed a look he couldn't read and then shot a death glare across the fire at Winry as she sat down between Ellie and Clara, her back to Ed.

Ed shrugged it off and looked over towards the river where everyone was still swimming. He couldn't even begin to feel good about getting a date with a girl before the guilt caved in as Jere stormed over from the river bank, Howy following from behind him, looking anxious.

"What the _hell_ was that, Ed?" Jere spat, being quiet enough so he didn't attract any attention.

"What was what?" He asked, trying to play innocent. But he knew he was caught. Howy was standing behind Jere, arms crossed as water dripped from his hair turned black from being wet, just like his brother's.

"You're fucking kidding me. Nearly everyone here saw you coming off of the trail with Winry. You _knew_ I was gonna ask her out!"

"Why? So you can screw around with her in your Dad's truck?" Ed snapped back, suddenly feeling defensive. There was _nothing_ wrong with going for a walk with his friend.

"Oh, what, that wasn't what _you _were doing with her just now in the woods? I can't believe you, Ed. You never show an ounce of interest in her until I say I'm gonna ask her out. 'The fuck is up with that?"

"Just so you know, Winry isn't like _that_. We just went to the sandbar and skipped some rocks, like we do _every s_ummer."

"You haven't gone to the sandbar since you were sixteen!" Jere's voice started to rise and people were starting to stare from over by the fire pit.

"Come on, Jere," Ed said, raising his hands, trying to get the angry brunette to lower his voice. "You know me and Win have been friends since we were like, two years old."

"So, what? You think you got dibs on her just because you've known her longer?"

"No! I meant that we're _just_ friends! Since when do I go out back with girls? You know how I am!"

Jere crossed his arms as he smirked, "Yeah, you're right, I know how you are with girls. You're too much of an awkward loser to get with any of them."

Ed's fists clenched as his brow furrowed. He barely restrained himself from taking a swing at Jere's face as someone came walking over.

Looking over, Ed half expected Winry, but he was surprised to see it was Joanna.

"Hey, what's going on over here, you guys? Are you fighting?" She asked, looking over at Howy who nodded behind Jere's back.

"It's nothing. Ed's just a backstabber," Jere spat. "Everyone only hangs out with him because we feel bad for him."

Jere turned around, shoving past his brother as he went back to the bank and Ed stepped forward to go after him. Before he could take two steps Joanna wrapped her arms around his left arm, gripping it to keep him from following Jeremiah.

Howy muttered something that sounded like an apology and set off, running after his brother.

"Come on, Ed. It's just drama you don't need. He'll be over it by tomorrow. Why don't you come sit with me at the fire pit?" She asked, smiling at him.

Ed glared over to where Jere was arguing with Howy at the bank. He had half a mind to shake Joanna off of his arm and go knock the piss out of Jeremiah. How could he say things like that? Like he cared about Winry, _as if_. It almost made him laugh. Jere was a serial dater and Ed hadn't seen him serious about a girl for as long as he's known him. When the Kelly twins moved to Resembool with their parents, which was six years ago, the Elric and the Kelly brothers were _always _together. The twins still went to school when Ed was pulled out when he turned thirteen and were doing their last year of school this fall.

What hurt Ed the most about fighting with Jeremiah was that when Ed had stopped going to school the twins still came over everyday after school to play with the Elrics. Winry even played with them. They were all just friends, why did they have to fight over something so stupid?

"No, I think I'm going home," Ed said, trying to pull his arm away from Joanna's grip as gently as he could, but she didn't seem to want to let go.

"Come _on_, you're gonna let a little bicker ruin your night?" Joanna kept her grip on his arm and started pulling him towards the fire pit. He fought back half heartedly, not really able to just yank his arm away from her and leave. He didn't want to be a jerk. This night was already making him feel like a Class A asshole.

"I guess I could stay a little longer," He sighed as she grabbed his shoulders and forced him to sit down on one of the large logs in front of the fire pit. Winry was still sitting on the log on the other side of the fire pit, she gave him a sort of half smile before looking back over at Ellie, who was looking a bit upset about something.

* * *

"It's _alright_, Ellie. I don't think he's really _that_ interested in her," Winry tried, rubbing Ellie's back as the small brown-haired girl looked gloomily at the fire. Winry couldn't really see _why _Ellie liked Ed, they were pretty different. She thought Ellie would wind up liking _Alphonse_. Ed was a little more... brash than Winry thought Ellie would ever like in a guy. Though right now, Ed seemed to be pretty quiet and skittish. Maybe that's why she started liking him? What was up with that?

Winry sure hoped that this was just a phase and Ed would go back to being the mouthy, hot-tempered blond she remembered from last fall.

"What about you, Winry? You knew that Ellie likes him and you still went off down the trail _alone_ with him. You know how bad that looks?" Clara asked, seated on the other side of Ellie. Clara was the too thin, built like a ten-year-old boy, bespectacled geek. She had an attitude, which made it so she wasn't the complete nerd at school and she had quite a few friends. But her thin nose and pale white skin with a splash of freckles wasn't really helping her popularity with the guys.

Winry liked her because she didn't put up with bullshit and was a good friend, not one of them backstabbers. _Like some people_.

"We didn't _do_ anything besides skip stones down at the sandbar," She pulled her sweater sleeves down over her hands and fumbled a bit with the hems. '_Should I tell them he asked me out on a date next week?'_

"That's all?" Ellie asked, looking up over at Winry. The guilt started spilling over as Winry glanced away from those big brown eyes.

"Well...that's not _completely_ everything."

Clara leaned closer, bumping into Ellie's shoulder as they both looked at her.

"What else happened?" Clara demanded, keeping her voice hushed.

"He... kind of...asked me out on a date," She said, heart nearly breaking as she caught the look on Ellie's face. She looked completely defeated. "Oh, why do you like him anyway, Ellie? Last time I was here you said he was too loud and rude. You hated him! What's wrong with Alphonse?"

"He's changed! These past few months he's gotten nicer and polite. He doesn't make fun of me anymore. Besides, Alphonse likes _Jen_. How am I supposed to compete with Jennifer?"

"You just need to be...less quiet. And don't worry, Ellie. _I_ wasn't going to ask him out, I would never do that to you. I went on a walk with him because he seemed really flustered and something looks like it's _bugging_ him. I'm his _friend_, it's my job to find out what's bothering him, y'know?"

But looking across the fire pit and watching Joanna talk with Ed and making Ed _smile_ made Winry feel a little...jealous. She knew that she had no right just coming back after being gone all school year and getting a date with Ed (hey, _he_ asked _her_) when two of his friends were already trying to win him over. It wasn't _her_ fault that Ed asked Winry out and not anyone else.

"It looks like both of you are going to lose because Jo' is practically attached to his hip," Clara stated, following Winry's gaze across the fire pit.

Winry shot a look at Clara, "What're you talking about '_lose'_? This isn't a _game_. Isn't it really up to the guy to decide who he likes?"

"Oh _whatever, _Winry. You weren't saying that when you dated John. Someone so much as _looked_ at him wrong and you were pulling hair out," Clara sneered, pulling her coat around her as she looked back down at the fire.

"That was _years _ago!"

"Hey, you guys?" Ellie said quietly, but she went ignored.

"Oh, so you changed after being in private school for a school year?" Clara asked.

"Maybe I have!" Winry retorted. "If you guys think that _dibs_ and _claims_ on a guy is valid then I had _dibs _on Ed before anyone else here. I-"

"Where did they go?" Ellie interrupted, jabbing an elbow into Winry's side. Winry broke her stare down with Clara and instantly looked over the fire pit at where Joanna and Ed and a few others were sitting. Where they _were_ sitting.

Winry looked around quickly, trying to spot that tawny covered head with a brown cap on top of it, but it was no where in sight.

She spotted Clara's grin.

"Well, that was fast," Clara said, crossing her legs. "I guess he's changed his mind about who he wants."

"_Shut up_, Clara," Winry snapped, glancing across the fire towards the river. For a moment she watched the people swimming in the river, the guys wrestling each other down into the water and a few girls taking turns on the rope swing. Then she noticed Jeremiah Kelly, a tall brunette kid that she used to play with with the Elric's, and that's when she realized who he was talking to.

"Why's Joanna over there talking with Jere?" Winry asked and immediately Clara and Ellie whipped their heads around and stared along with Winry.

"...I guess Ed just left?" Ellie said uncertainly, wringing her hands. She sighed heavily and buried her face into her hands. "I just can't believe I waited so long before asking him. Now it's too _late_."

"It's not too late, Ellie. I'm just going to the fair with him on Saturday," Winry tried comforting her. _Again_.

"You should just get over him, El. Winry's right, he's loud and rude and just because he's been going through this little phase the past two months, doesn't mean he's _changed,_" Clara stated, looking rather annoyed at Ellie's dismay.

Clara and Ed did _not_ get along.

_At all._

"Well, I think I better get going. It's already nearly eleven thirty. Gran said I had to be home by twelve," Winry said, standing up and brushing the back of her dress off, in case any dirt or bark was sticking to it from the log. Not like anyone was going to noticed in the dark, but it was a habit.

Saying goodbye to Ellie and Clara, Winry started off on the path home.

* * *

Ed had to feign that he was late for his curfew home and nearly ran away from Joanna and the others at the fire pit. He had tried catching Winry's eye before he left but she seemed deeply immersed in her conversation with Ellie and Clara.

Defeated he pried Joanna's hand off of his arm and left without bothering with goodbyes. He wasn't so sure with everyone's odd behavior either. Winry turned into a girl somewhere along the lines since last fall, Joanna was talking with him every time she saw him, and Ellie wasn't talking to him hardly _at all_. Jere was turning into an asshole, Al was becoming more interested in girls, and Ed himself couldn't talk to some people without becoming unnecessarily anxious.

'_There must be something in the water.'_

Ed ran most of the path when he got out of the woods with his house was in sight. Running up to it, he glanced at the windows to check that all lights were off, confirming that everyone was (hopefully) asleep.

Quietly, Ed went up his porch stairs and went inside, closing the door behind him as gently as possible. Pulling his boots off and putting them on the floor under the coat rack, Ed quickly went up the stairs. Forgetting to skip the noisy stairs every creak of the wooden floor made him cringe but he made it to his room safely. After shutting the door behind him he flopped down onto his bed. Glad that he didn't have to wake up at five in the morning to do work.

_'I love weekends.'_


End file.
